Piano-tuning apparatus.



No. 745,634. PATENTED DEO. 1, 1908. D. LONG.

PIANO TUNING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1901.

awuemroz UNITED STATES latented December 1, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

PIANO-TUNING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,634, dated December 1, 1903.

Application filed March 27,1901- To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LDANIEL LONG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brookville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Tuning Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to piano-tuning apparatus, and has for its object to provide a pin set in a metallic wrest-plate in such manner that it will be held in positionby friction alone.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 represents a section of a wrestplate, showing apertures to receive tuningpins. Figs. 2, 3, and 5 represent modified forms of tuning-pins. Fig. 4 representsa bolt adapted to sustain the form of pin shown in Fig. 3. Figs. 6 and 7 are two forms of bushings used to sustain the form of pin shown in Fig. 5. Fig. Sis a transverse sectional view of bar and pin.

The wrest-plate is made of metal, and it may be placed upon the ordinary frame-bar. It is preferably an inch and a quarter in thickness, but may have an additional plate, either integral with it or secured to it in any wellknown manner, as shown in Fig. 1 at a, the purpose of which will appear later.

The apertures a in the wrest-plate A, I prefer to make fifty hundredths of an inch in diameter at the top and forty-four hundredths of an inch at the bottom, and the aperture is made perfectly smooth by emerygrinding. The body or bearing surface of the tuning-pin in like manner is ground perfectly smooth and is made of corresponding dimensions, so as to accurately fit the aperture of the wrest-plate. It is found that pins of the size and being tapered in the degree described will retain their hold in the wrest plate better than those of any other size and shape.

In position I prefer to have the body or bearing portion of the pin to extend a little above the wrest-plate to aid in preventing moisture or dust from entering the joint and to allow for the adjustment of the pin. neck I) of the pin is smaller, and it has at its The Serial No. 53,141. (No model.)

Fig. 3 shows a modification in which the pin is provided centrally with a longitudinal aperture d and at the lower end with a rec tangular slot (1. The bolt shown in Fig. 4 is adapted to enter the aperture d, the web a of said bolt registering with the slot d. As the head of the bolt bears against the bottom of the wrest-plate, turning down the nutsecures the pin firmly in the plate and holds itin po sition after it has been set by the operator. This pin must be made short enough to provide for its adjustment. It is also necessary to provide space for the head of the bolt. A shoulder c is formed at the top of the portion 1), against which the instrument is placed in forcing the pininto position.

A further modification is shown in Fig 5, in which ashoulder is formed at the base of the neck portion 1), against which the bushing (shown in Fig. 6 or Fig. 7) operates to hold the pin in the wrest-plate. The bushing is provided with an external screw-thread,which engages a corresponding screw-thread formed in the plate a.

Pins constructed. as above described move regularly in their sockets and the tuning is accomplished without jerking the pins, which so frequently breaks the strings.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a piano-tuning apparatus, a wrestplate provided with apertures contracted from the face thereof and pins adapted to fit snuglyin said apertures, the shank of the pins extending above the face of said plate; and means for applying pressure to the pins, having one bearing thereon above their greatest diameter and another bearing on the wrestplate,whereby said pins are sustained in their sockets, substantially as specified.

2. A piano-tuning pin, having a tapered bearing portion and means for holding it in place comprisinga central longitudinal aperture and a bolt registering in said aperture, the head of the bolt bearing against the bottom of the wrest-plate and the nut operating snugly fit in said apertures, the shank of the pins extending above the face of said plate; and a screw-threaded member, having a bearing on said pins above their greatest diameter and a reciprocal bearing on said Wrestplate, whereby pressure is applied to the pins to sustain them in their sockets, substantially 20 as specified.

DANIEL LONG.

lVitnesses:

FRANKLIN P. Lone, CADMUs Z. GORDON. 

